After suffering disappointing losses last week, both the Broncos and Titans will be hoping for an immediate response when they clash in an all-Queensland showdown on the Gold Coast.

The Broncos suffered a double blow last week, falling to the Eels in one of the games of the season and also losing influential hooker Andrew McCullough for the remainder of the season after he suffered a knee injury.

McCullough has a massive impact on how the Broncos play, and his absence may just have ended their premiership hopes – he’s that important to their structure. Nevertheless, the Broncos are still sitting pretty in the top four on the ladder, and with a 17-5 record over the Titans, this looms as the perfect opportunity for Wayne Bennett’s side to get back on track.

It’s been a frustrating season for the Titans. They’ve defeated both of last year’s grand finalists and proven they can match it with the best teams in the competition, but they just can’t establish any consistency.

With their season on the line last week, Gold Coast produced one of their worst performances of the season, folding meekly against the 15th-placed Tigers in front of their own fans.

A win in that game would have made this showdown with the Broncos a blockbuster, but now Gold Coast’s season is all but over, so it will be interesting to see how they respond in the coming weeks.

Brisbane have more to play for and have won their last six meetings against the Titans. The loss of McCullough hurts, but they should still have enough firepower to emerge triumphant and lock down a top four spot for another week.